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Party balloons are normally filled with what’s known as “balloon gas”. It’s a mix of air and helium that’s not suitable for use in medical equipment.
by macshome 3y ago
Party balloons are normally filled with what’s known as “balloon gas”. It’s a mix of air and helium that’s not suitable for use in medical equipment.
- philipkglass 3y agoBalloon gas is 97% helium, so from a helium consumption standpoint it's about the same either way: https://www.boc.com.au/shop/en/au/balloon-gas https://www.boc.com.au/shop/en/au/balloon-gas
- h0l0cube 3y agoI had to do some digging to find more about this. > "Balloon Grade" Helium represents a slightly impure Helium. While there is no scientific definition of this quality, it is often accepted that the purity of "Balloon Grade" Helium is around 99% https://www.quantum-technology.com/recover/balloon-grade-helium-recovery.html https://www.quantum-technology.com/recover/balloon-grade-hel... Sounds high, but not pure enough for MRI applications, and it isn't currently economical to reliquefy without shipping it to a processor. > Manufacturers have stated that this wasted helium is considered a ‘recycled product’ as it would have been lost to the environment had it not been captured and re-purposed. If the balloon market demand declined, manufacturers would have to re-evaluate other markets and consider the possibilities of re-liquefying it. Re-liquefying is currently considered uneconomical from the locations of where the filling application take place. https://www.partysafe.eu/balloon-and-gas-helium https://www.partysafe.eu/balloon-and-gas-helium Also it's small, but not insignificant, sector of the market: > "A reasonable estimate is that latex 'party' balloons and their foil equivalent account for between 5% and 7% of the total helium usage." https://www.theguardian.com/science/shortcuts/2012/dec/11/should-we-ban-helium-balloons https://www.theguardian.com/science/shortcuts/2012/dec/11/sh...